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Miss Coco Murray

@misscocomurray

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Award-winning Dance Artist-Scholar 🇨🇦
Cultural Arts Leader, Educator, Programmer
Stiltdancer: @cocomokojumbie
Artistic Director:@cococollectiveto

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This artistic family right here... Proud to work with each of these people. @cococollectiveto was met with a standing ovation last night for our new version of the dance/drum work, Calabash at @nativeearthperformingarts!

Thanking @windintheleavescollective and @charlesc.smith for the support, advocacy and performance platform of the IBPOC Touring Network launch in Toronto.

An honor to share the stage with @sasharzarif 🙌🏾

Thank you to the stage management of @jilliacato and videography of @squiretdot that breathes new life into the work.

Calabash came from an idea to become a curated response at an ceramic exhibition at a museum. Now the arts creation evolved into its own entity for the stage. The process to create this has been two years. Miss Coco thanks @move_with_timea for the encouragement to continue developing Calabash. The seed is manifested as a harvest that we shared with the audience.

For those that came to witness the story, your blessed energy and feedback was heartfelt.

Blessings

#CocoCollectiveTO
#africandiasporicdance
#fromseedtoharvest
🥭🍠🎵🎵

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We did it. MASS (A Spiritual Journey to the Creator Within) production with an intergenerational cast of friends. Flowing through the single and ensemble choreography and then stiltdancing up high in Caribbean Contemporary fashion. A 27-year-old remount that was reimagined...and the international guests who came to witness the full- length @RonaldTaylorDance production.

To the cast, I appreciate all of your talents. It was an honour to share the stage. We carried each other through the experience.

I was emotionally overwhelmed during tech week and performance nights, recognizing the legacy surrounding this work.

a)A dedication to ancestor Christopher Pinheiro, a talented Trinidadian artist/Caribbean carnival visionary who founded SwizzleStick Theatre. Bringing stiltwalking in Toronto and 1998 MASS cast member. We celebrated him in August 2025.

b) Ezra Houser an original cast and Moko Jumbie in 1998 MASS. He taught my teacher, Michael Lee Poy and was there when I learned to stiltwalk from the Lee-Poy family.

c) to represent (myself and @xicamokojumbie) as another generation of Mokos rehearsing for this work. Sending love to Xica Dieffenthaller Lee-Poy who was supposed to perform alongside me❤️.

d) Ronald 's artistic family, Something Positive who I met in Detroit. Michael Manswell, I appreciate your encouragement and to share stage was a tremendous opportunity. Cinti... beautiful costume designs 😍

e) Timea Wharton-Suri, an original cast performer of 1998 MASS. Timea is a powerhouse and tremendous support of my artistic projects.❤️

f) Wilma Cromwell ( Ms Cayonne), Ronald Taylor Dance grant writer but my Grade 1 art teacher from Firgrove Public School who worked with my Mum at that school. Thank you for always seeing my creative spark.

g) Lastly my Mum and sisters supporting me throughout my dance journey 🙌🏾 My Dad is watching over us. #MurrayFam

Acknowledging the ancestors I/we mourn during the development of this performance. May you all rest peacefully.

#dance #choreography #stiltdancing #theatre #CaribbeanContemporary #Torontoartists

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LULU has been presented with the Patron's Pick Award for the Tank House Theatre at the @toronto_fringe! Sunday, July 13, 2025 is the final night. Along with the 7:30 pm show, an additional 9:30 pm show has been added.

Guest Performer @cocomokojumbie
Arrive 15 minutes early before the show times for the pre-show.

Congratulations to the entire LULU team 👏🏿
This has been a fulfilling experience ✨️ to work with this group of creatives.

🎟 Now available for the final show. Come again and tell a friend. Let's sell this one out too. 🙌🏾

#LULU2025 #TorontoFringe #storytelling #caribbean #caribbeanfolklore #mokojumbie #play #grateful

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It's an honour to be a part of LULU as Coco Moko Jumbie. Congratulations to @sashoyasimpson @dbiyounganitafrika and @thewalkinggriot for their storytelling, laughter, movement, and preservation of culture.

Our stories need to be told. Let's sell out those remaining shows @toronto_fringe!!

The cast is amazing and they are fundraising to take LULU to Barbados Carifiesta!! Support this show and their GoFundMe campaign.

#dance #folklore #artists #mokojumbie #mokosintoronto #actorslife #play #director #theatre #blacktheatre #joy #storytelling #awardwinning #lulu2025

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When you are invited by the @cerlacyu Co- Director to present at the inaugural Arts & Lit Festival, a dialogue amongst researchers, artists, and scholars of Latin American and Caribbean Heritage.

Is this the first time a Moko Jumbie is at @yorkuniversity ?

Hmmm.... 🤷🏾‍♀️

A taste of last week where artist-scholar and doctoral student, Collette Murray spoke about her Moko Jumbie practice.

#rhythms #dancepedagogy #mokojumbie #toronto #scholar #conference #university #danceartist #dancestudies #Caribbean #latinamerican #research #CocoMokoJumbie

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GARGAMEL!!! It's the foot pon speaker, lean back, wine, and skanking for me. Whoooooiiiiii 🔥🔥

Yes, @bujubanton blessed Toronto

#theovercomertour #toronto #danceartists #bujureturns

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For Emancipation Month, we can't forget to represent for the cultural significance of this instrument. World Steelpan Day 2023

Miss Coco, aka @Cocomokojumbie and Edz dancing to live pan by Suzette 🙌🏾

Acknowledging that the steelpan promotes inclusive societies, sustainable communities and the creative economy and can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being, gender equality and youth empowerment, the UN General Assembly decided to proclaim 11 August as World Steelpan Day.

#steelpan #Toronto
#cocomokojumbie
#Caribbeandance
#culture
#caribbeanmusic
@unesco
@unesco_caribbean

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It was great to interview twice on @cp24toronto at @torontocarnival.ca. Here, I spoke to Jess Smith about what my traditional mas costume represented and Coko Moko (@cocomokojumbie) after crossing with @bluedevilmokojumbiemas . 🔵😈

Later on the route, the question "What does Emancipation mean to Me" was posed. Well, given I just immersed my whole being in Trinidad's Emancipation Day (days prior), the other reporter heard a contextualized perspective 😉.

I ask all of you...

Why do you play Mas? What does freedom mean to you? What are you representing in this Carnival context?

I appreciate all the people who thanked me or gave a shout-out on what I stated on TV, this Emancipation Month. This year, I intentionally was among us creative scholars and artists of the Caribbean diaspora and was nourished.

#cocomokojumbie
#dancescholars #Blackscholars #caribbeanscholars
#phdlife #Dance
#mokojumbie
#TorontoCaribbeanCarnival2023
#traditionalmas #paintdetownblue
#duttymas #Emancipation
#culturaleducation
#cp24 #ImpromptuInterviews

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So it's been a few years.. A return to Afrofest (@afrofest_toronto) and Saikou's tent. A reunion among many of us who do not see each other in ONE location. A few were missing....

Many dance companies are representing here....so this is a historic moment. I am very proud of our growth as individuals and creatives.

I had a proud teacher moment when my student Nicole was leading dance movement. This was followed by my Sister, Lua, taking the lead. Then, after the many requests from drummers ...

See until the ending.

#dance #Toronto #vibe #reunion #creatives #drumanddance #Afrofest

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A blessed reunion dancing with my Sistas, Karen and Shahi as we share joy and energy in @imaniafatima class today. Support @yensafestival workshops this weekend and take in the international guests.

#guineandance #dance #dancelifestyle #socialpractices #artsandculture #westafricandancer #Toronto

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Yesterday, I had my first exhibition: Un loc' de riddims in meh body through visual art, dance photography, video and performance. This arts research is an embodied, personal experience I shared as part of @blackandfree_ at @themuseumkitchener. Thank you to Canada Research Chair, Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae for selecting my proposal, as one of the Ontario artists commissioned to expand on how Afrodescendants liberate. Also, presenting an intellectual discourse in a way people have not seen me do so: on stilts. Decolonising the museum experience by situating significance and links of music-dance systems and some of the creative legacies from Western Africa and Caribbean cultures.

Thank you to my creative team who supported me by manifesting the conceptual seeds:
Christopher Cushman
Coco Collective musicians: Kimberely Charles, Lance Cumberbatch, Sherwin Charles
Michael Mortley
S-Quire Media

Thank you Shakkoi Hibbert, one of my mentees for your assistance and support.

Thank you to the audience for responding to the conversation I share for the ancestors.

#PhDlife #artsresearch #freedom #liberation #danceresearch #danceeducation #researchcreation #BlackandFree #roadtrip #Ontario #artistry #westafricandancer #decolonising #caribbeandance

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Celebrating wins by attending history 🙌🏽 and spending time with family. Congratulations to @esiemensah for her directorial debut 👏🏿. Serving Elizabeth SERVED!!!!

The cast did a wonderful job. Proud of Percy!! See the remainder of shows at Hamilton's Theatre Aquarius.

This was a great performance that had me question and reflect on British colonial monarch legacies and impact.

#livetheatre #thoughtprovoking
#Hamilton #theatrearts

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